Thompson Opening a D.C. Hotel Just Made Our Nation's Capital Way Cooler

If Washington, D.C. keeps this up, it may replace Chicago as our favorite U.S city escape. First came a food scene anchored by José Andrés, then newly created (and creative) neighborhoods like The Wharf. Now, Thompson has decided to open a hotel on the D.C. riverfront—that may just be the clincher.

The stylish brand behind New York's Beekman (whose bar you've certainly seen on Instagram, if not in person) and The Cape in Cabo (our 2016 Hot List cover star) will become the first hotel in the city's emerging The Yards district when it opens in early 2020. Typical for Thompson, the property will have public spaces that appeal as much to the locals as the guests; here that means a restaurant led by a big deal chef (whose name is still under wraps) and a rooftop bar with 360-degree views of the city. The hotel will also mark the second collaboration between Thompson and New York-based Parts and Labor, who did their Nashville spot back in 2016. For D.C., the design firm will nod to the area's industrial history through emerald and ivory tones, dark iron bricks and hard metal panels throughout the 225 rooms and common spaces. The hotel's 38 suites, meanwhile, will have views across the Anacostia River and of nearby Nationals Park baseball stadium.

D.C.'s earliest industrial neighborhood, The Yards is part of a greater revitalization of the D.C. riverfront, and now home to urban wineries, oyster bars, and Nationals Park. At its western edge, it hits The Wharf, a 3.2-million-square-foot urban development project whose first phase opened last October with a mile-long strip of designer shopping, fine dining, and nightlife. Though the project won't be complete until 2022, its Basque-inflected Del Mar restaurant from famed local chef Fabio Trabocchi and Italian Market are already peeling travelers off the monument circuit, even with the National Mall being just a walk away.